The Vanishing Girl

  I blinked, the adrenaline still pumping through me. Caden took off his headgear and glasses and flashed me a wide grin. I dropped the paint gun and took off my own headgear.

  The shooter closest to me high-fived me. “You were a beast,” he said.

  “Thanks,” I said, dazed. I’d been so in the zone that it felt like I was waking from a dream.

  “Congratulations to the first pair to stay alive for ten minutes,” our instructor said, and our classmates clapped on our behalf.

  He glanced down at his clipboard. “Altogether you two took out fourteen opponents. Impressive by any standard.”

  It was impressive, even for teleporters. The realization hit me square in the chest.

  Here I was doing it again, showing off talents that I should try to hide. And now it was too late.

  “You did amazing,” Caden said, coming over to me and grinning like a fool. When he saw my expression, his smile drained away.

  He put a hand on my shoulder and leaned in. “Ember, you okay?” he asked, his voice low so that no one else would overhear him. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  I nodded, but I knew he could see the lie in my eyes.

  Because the truth was, now that I’d demonstrated how good I already was with a gun, they’d begin to leverage that ability. That might mean more missions, more danger, and more violence.

  Caden couldn’t possibly know just how accurate his words were; I had just seen a ghost. My own.

  Early Friday morning I grabbed the early bird breakfast from the cafeteria and brought a steaming cup of coffee back to my room. Once I had nestled myself in front of my computer, I read over the plans for today’s mission and studied Jacque’s picture. I was to go in, empty the suitcase of the stolen gemstones, and hide them underneath the bed sheets. Then I needed to get myself caught. Easy.

  After I began highlighting the floor plan, I heard the knock on my door.

  I took a deep breath.

  Here we go.

  Chapter 29

  I found myself in a luxury suite that overlooked the ocean. As expected, the room was abandoned. I took a moment to enjoy the salty sea air that blew into the room from the open sliding glass door before getting to work.

  Okay, time to get to work. As I began walking, I felt metal brush against my thighs. I lifted the red dress I wore, absently noticing the timer on my wrist, and pulled out a small device that had been strapped to my leg. I flipped it over in my hand. It wasn’t a gun, that was for sure. I set it on a nearby table. Whatever it was, I didn’t have use for it yet.

  My red dress swished around my ankles as I tore apart the room looking for the case that held the gems. The project really wasn’t kidding when they wanted me to be a distractor; the dress I wore would catch pretty much everyone’s attention.

  I put my hands on my hips and gazed around the room. Not in the closet. Not in the mini safe. Not behind the curtains or below the table. Not underneath the desk.

  Where would I hide a suitcase?

  I snapped my fingers as the answer came to me. I just hoped Jacque Mainard thought the same way I did.

  I glanced around at the bare floor before letting my eyes rove over the closet once more. Just above it was a long, squat cupboard.

  I stood on my tiptoes to reach the handles and opened the cupboard doors.

  His luggage had been shoved up here.

  I yanked the bag down, grunting at how heavy it was, and unzipped it. Nestled inside was the case I was looking for. Personally, I would’ve covered the suitcase with a layer of panties and dirty clothing, but this guy was a little more tasteful.

  I pulled the suitcase out of his luggage and set it on the bed. The thing had a combination lock on it four numbers long. Crap, no one had mentioned this.

  My gaze moved back to the metal object I had set aside, an idea forming. I got up and snatched it from the counter and flipped the only switch on the device. A controlled flame blossomed from the open end of it making a quiet, hissing noise.

  They’d given me a blowtorch. Idiots.

  I grabbed the suitcase from the bed and moved it to the table. Before I began, I unhooked the metal clasps that held the case closed; it still didn’t open—it wouldn’t if it were locked. I needed those clasps intact for later.

  Directing the flame towards the top of the case, I ran it over the seam, watching the way the material melted and peeled away. Something snapped and the lid of the suitcase popped open. I clicked the blowtorch off and used its metal end to push the lid all the way open.

  I stared inside. Five dark silver stones glittered, cut similar to quartz crystals. I picked one up and examined it. They were almost identical to the stones in Dr. Sumner’s safe.

  Alarm bells were going off in my head. Why did both men have these stones? And why did the government want them so badly? I stilled, wondering who was the lesser of two evils, Jacque or the government.

  I clenched my fist around the stone, aware that I was probably being watched on some nifty camera another teleporter had installed. For now I had to trust the government. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to keep up pretenses until I escaped.

  I removed the stones from the case and hid them underneath the bed sheets. Then I snapped the partially melted case closed and walked out the door.

  Standing directly outside the room was a bodyguard. The man did a double take once he saw me.

  I gave the guard a cordial smile and began to make my way down the hall.

  He called out to me in French.

  I paused and let him catch up to me. “Yes?” I said, reverting to the doe-eyed act I’d used so many times over the years.

  He eyed me up and down and frowned. “Why were you in there—you should not have been in there,” he said in a thick accent.

  I knew Caden would show up inside the room at any minute, and it was important that I get out of the hallway and off the floor with this guard, so that Caden could deliver the gemstones.

  I began walking.

  “Mademoiselle, you cannot walk away.”

  “Didn’t Jacque inform you that I was in there?”

  “No,” he said matching my strides. For all his threats, the guard wasn’t stopping me.

  “Well, I was.”

  The guard glanced back at the now unattended room, before giving me a questioning look. His eyes drifted down to the suitcase I carried, and he became suspicious all over again.

  “I have to call this in,” he said.

  “Fine, but I’m on my way to see Jacque right now.”

  He paused, looking indecisive. He seemed to be having trouble figuring out the correct course of action. I hadn’t acted like a criminal would, but I had Jacque’s suitcase and I’d been in the room.

  Finally, the guard said, “I’ll escort you to him.” He took hold of my upper arm and led me to the bank of elevators. He hit the down button, the doors slid open, and together we entered the elevator.

  I watched the light blink down from level to level until the elevator dinged and the doors slid open on the ground floor.

  People buzzed around the lobby, congregating in clusters. The guard took my arm again and pulled us forward. We maneuvered our way through the crowded lobby and entered an expansive conference room filled with people.

  I immediately recognized Jacque from the picture the facility had emailed me; he had snow white hair, a trim beard, and wire-rimmed glasses. And at the moment he stood up at the podium giving a presentation to the packed room.

  The door echoed shut behind us, echoing throughout the large auditorium, and Jacque paused. He looked from the guard, to me, to the suitcase. When his eyes landed on the suitcase, they widened.

  I realized then the flaw in my plan. If they caught me now, they’d open the su
itcase and see it was empty. At that point they’d know I was a distraction. That might not give Caden enough time.

  Which meant that I was going to have to wreak havoc on this nice conference.

  I slammed my stiletto down on the guard’s foot, not caring that I now had the audience’s attention. He screamed, and I used the opportunity to slam my elbow into his throat. The force cut off his air supply and he loosened his grip.

  I yanked my hand free and ran. Behind me, chairs clattered and shouts rang out.

  The seams running up the sides of my gown ripped as I moved, allowing me to lengthen my stride and flash some leg. Behind the front desk of the lobby, alarmed staff watched me streak across the room. The way the floor plan was set up, I had two options: turn left past the lobby to access the beach, or turn right and exit the front doors.

  Lounging tourists were preferable to the security that undoubtedly waited outside the main entrance, so I turned left and ran past the front desk.

  Through the doors ahead of me I could see the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. Lucky me, I’d get to sink my toes into the soft sand before I went back.

  “Ember?” My steps faltered when I heard the familiar voice.

  I glanced behind me and saw Adrian exiting a room marked Internet Lounge. His eyes were wide at the sight of me, and briefly they flickered over my exposed thighs.

  Why was he here? What was going on?

  “What are you doing?” he asked. His eyes moved to the suitcase I held and his eyes widenened. He glanced back up at me, realization hardening his features. “I can’t let you go.”

  Behind him I heard a series of shouts, and I backed away. The more I let this situation seep through my bones, the more uneasy I felt.

  “Ember, we’re the good guys here,” he said, taking a step forward. “We’re trying to help you.”

  “We?” I said. “Since when was it ever more than you?” I read his expression, and the truth dawned on me. “I’m so naïve. You have been lying to me to save your own skin.”

  “Ember, no,” Adrian said. “It’s not like that.”

  “Then what is it like?”

  Adrian took a step closer and lowered his voice. “I can tell you if you’ll let me. But you have to put the briefcase down first.”

  “Uh huh.” Because I was that dumb.

  “Please Ember.” He begged me with his eyes.

  A guard at the far end of the lobby pointed at me, and the group of them began running in my direction.

  “Maybe some other time Adrian.” I turned and bolted. The glass doors of the hotel swung open as I burst through the lobby’s back entrance. Soft pearly sand beckoned me, and beyond it, the ocean. To my right a wooden pier jutted out into the sea.

  I made a beeline for it.

  Behind me I could hear several footfalls. One in particular was closer than the others, and it was closing in fast.

  I kicked off my heels when I reached the wooden pier, and I winced as I collected splinters from the rotted wood.

  I threw a glance over my shoulder. Adrian had almost caught up with me. In a mad rush I flicked open the metal latches that held the suitcase shut, and once open, I tossed it into the water. That way, those who were after me might be fooled into thinking that the stones were lost in the ocean.

  “No!” The shout came from far behind me. Back on the beach Jacque stared, horrified, at the suitcase. Then he ran like mad into the waves and waded towards it.

  “Were those … the stones?” Adrian asked, his voice hushed.

  I didn’t say anything.

  “Ember, those weren’t just any stones. They were lodestones, and they were going to save you.” That unsettling feeling reared its ugly head. Lodestones. Weren’t those magnetized stones?

  “How can a stone save me?” I asked.

  He rubbed his eyes. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

  I understood that statement perfectly. There was no happy ending for me. I’d already figured that out. I wasn’t going to let myself get upset now that Adrian hinted that he could’ve saved me. It was too little too late.

  The hotel’s security caught up to me and grabbed my wrists, cuffing them behind my back. All the while I never took my eyes off Adrian.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  Out of everything he could’ve said, that statement surprised me the most.

  “Why?” I asked, as security began to drag me away.

  “Because you are just a pawn. And a pawn can’t help but get played.”

  Chapter 30

  Dane Richards gave me a hearty slap on the back. “Great job Pierce,” he said as I entered the facility’s conference room late that same afternoon. “Considering your lack of experience, you are proving to be an outstanding asset.”

  “Thanks,” I said unenthusiastically, ignoring the barb in his compliment. I didn’t think I could take a whole hour of him, debriefing or not.

  Caden sauntered in behind me.

  “Hawthorne!” Richards said. “There’s my other star of the day. You and Pierce make a great team. We’ll have to schedule you both in on more missions.”

  His words sent shivers up my arm, and then I reminded myself that I didn’t care. Perhaps I’d wake up tomorrow with a bit more fight in me, but today, today the world had gotten the best of me.

  The debriefing lasted for an hour or so. Like last time, Debbie showed up and the group—which also included four teleporters who set up cameras throughout the hotel—discussed our thoughts and feelings on the mission.

  Once it was all over, I left the room with Caden.

  I shoved my hands in my pockets and studied the cheap linoleum floors as we walked down the hall. The only sound was the slap of our shoes against the linoleum.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  I blinked a few times and glanced up at him. I’d been zoning out, still mulling over the mission. “It’s nothing.”

  “I don’t think so,” he said. He cupped my jaw with his hand so he could stare into my eyes. “Nope. Something is definitely up.”

  Gently I brushed his hand away. How could I handle telling him about what happened on the mission? I wasn’t sure I even understood it myself.

  “Do you ever feel like your perception of reality is so distorted that you wouldn’t be able to see the truth if it were right in front of you?” I asked.

  Caden’s brow wrinkled and he slid an arm around my waist. “Want to talk about it?”

  I eyed the hallway. “Not here.”

  I stayed silent until Caden and I had climbed far into the woods beyond the facility.

  “Okay, spill,” Caden said.

  I threaded my hands behind my head and exhaled. “I saw Adrian on our mission.”

  Caden frowned. “Why didn’t you mention it to Richards?”

  His question reminded me that while he had agreed to escape with me, I hadn’t convinced him that the project itself was corrupt.

  I turned to Caden. “That’s not the point.”

  He stepped towards me, the leaves crunching under his feet. “Then what is it?”

  “Those stones we retrieved? Apparently they have something to do with us.”

  Caden’s expression remained blank, which I took to be a bad sign.

  I dropped my hands back to my sides. “Adrian said they were supposed to help us.”

  “Ember.”

  This was another one of those times where I wished I couldn’t read people so well. Because I knew Caden thought Adrian was a fugitive, trying to deceive me to avoid capture. And I was the sucker who fell for his deception. It was a good theory, especially when I factored in the lodestones and the information that Adrian had kept from me.

  The only problem with that theory was that I knew it wasn’t
true. Every expression Adrian made, the very real devastation on his face, it couldn’t have been faked. Not to mention that his father had similar stones locked away in his safe; they had to have something to do with us, regardless of how implausible that seemed.

  I squeezed my eyes shut. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.”

  Even with my eyes closed, I could feel Caden’s warmth as he came closer. “Ember,” he said softly, “I am so glad you did. Now please open your eyes.”

  I did, and Caden’s face was so full of understanding that I almost staggered back.

  “I thought you didn’t believe me,” I said.

  “I believe you completely,” he said. “It’s him I don’t trust.”

  His form blurred as tears obscured my vision, and he kissed them away.

  That was the best I was going to get from Caden.

  Late that night, I grabbed my license and a sweatshirt from my room and headed for the door.

  I gave my room a brief sweep with my eyes. Unlike Caden’s, which was so full of life, my room held only those few knick-knacks my parents had packed for me. The walls were empty of pictures, the mounted shelves only sparsely decorated. The only thing in this room even remotely full was my dresser. Anyone could tell that I wasn’t making myself too comfortable here. I wondered what Caden thought of that, and if anyone else took notice.

  I shut the door behind me. It was 2:00 a.m., and the halls were deserted. I knew that there were night patrols, but they mostly watched the perimeter. I mean, the facility couldn’t really stop us from coming and going—it was in our nature—so the best they could do was make sure that no unauthorized persons entered, and no teleporters permanently left the property.

  Once I entered the stairwell, I descended the cement stairs and quietly exited when I reached the basement. Flourescent lights stuttered on as I moved down the hall. The last time I was here, they’d been on; I hadn’t realized they’d been triggered by motion detectors. I filed that information away and kept walking.